2:509 th Airborne Infantry 8th Inf Div

The 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 509th Infantry (2/509th), was assigned to the 8th Infantry Division in 1974 and stationed in Mainz, Germany. As one of the few U.S. airborne units in Europe during the Cold War, the battalion specialized in rapid deployment, airfield seizure, and defensive operations against potential Warsaw Pact advances. The 2/509th regularly participated in rigorous training exercises such as REFORGER and joint NATO maneuvers, maintaining a high level of readiness. In 1984, the battalion was inactivated, with its lineage and honors carried on by other elements of the 509th Infantry Regiment.